Kanter is seeking U.S. help, citizenship
After having his Turkish passport canceled and receiving death threats, Enes Kanter is back safely in the United States and says he hopes to stay here for good as an American citizen.
After he was held in Romania by authorities there because his Turkish passport was canceled by Turkish authorities, Kanter said he plans to take steps toward becoming a U.S. citizen.
“Right now, I am country-less,” Kanter said at the National Basketball Players Association headquarters in Manhattan. “I am open to adoption definitely. I am going to try to become an American citizen. I have a green card. We will see if they can speed up the process a little bit. It would definitely be nice. Right now, my next move is becoming an American citizen.”
Kanter, who said he has received death threats, including two Monday, has been critical of Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Oklahoma City Thunder center said his Turkish passport was canceled because he has spoken out against Erdogan.
Kanter was held at a Romanian airport upon landing in Bucharest.
Stanford’s McNealy wins Hogan Award
Stanford senior Maverick McNealy has won the Ben Hogan Award, which honors the top college golfer in the nation.
McNealy, also a finalist in 2015 and 2016, is the sixth straight Pac-12 recipient of the Hogan Award. In 2014, the award went to Stanford’s Patrick Rodgers.
The son of Sun Microsystems co-founder Scott McNealy is second in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He has won 11 events, tying him with Tiger Woods and Rodgers for most in Stanford history.
Stanford’s women’s team easily advanced to match play at the NCAA championships in Sugar Grove, Ill. The Cardinal finished second in the 54-hole stroke-play portion of the event; the top eight teams qualified for match play, which begins Tuesday. Cal tied for 14th in the 24-team field and did not advance. College football: Former South Carolina quarterback Brandon McIlwain is transferring to Cal, Bears head coach Justin Wilcox announced Monday. McIlwain, who also will play baseball in Berkeley, played eight games with three starts as a freshman last year for the Gamecocks. He completed 62 of 118 passes for 600 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while adding another 127 yards rushing and two scores on the ground. The 2015 Pennsylvania High School Player of the Year must sit out a year and will have three seasons of eligibility remaining starting in 2018. College tennis: The seventhseeded Stanford women defeated third-seeded Ohio State 4-3 in Athens, Ga., to advance to Tuesday’s NCAA championship match against top-seeded Florida, a 4-2 winner over No. 4 Vanderbilt. Obituary: Nathanial “Mack” Burton, who was enshrined in the San Francisco Prep, CCSF and San Jose State halls of fame, has died of natural causes. He was 78. Mr. Burton was a wide receiver on the 1964 B.C. Lions Grey Cup championship team quarterbacked by Joe Kapp. Horse racing: Classic Empire, who finished second in the Preakness, and Japanese horse Epicharis are the top entries in the June 10 Belmont Stakes, which, minus Always Dreaming and Cloud Computing, will be without a Kentucky Derby or Preakness winner for the first time since 2012. There are 13 3-year-olds set to run the 1½-mile race.